I was a swab for 5 of the 6 possible terms. Once you got to LE, you were not allowed to swab.

In Col A the entire second year were swabs by tradition so everyone did just three terms. The statement on radio that somebody got Â£1 -10/ (150p in new money) surprised me - 5/- (25p) a term seemed to be the norm in Col A. In those days that was 10 weeks pocket money

J.R. wrote:I seem to remember it was 5 bob a week - a few coppers extracted once a week for use at Mrs Tickner's tuck-shop.

Ouch! After train fares to and from school, compulsory pocket money and other compulsory payments I had about Â£2 left out of my annual allowance of Â£25 which also had to cover all out-of-school clothes, books, xmas presents ..... . That would mean a swab should pay me 5/- - no way could I pay him that huge sum.
After leaving school I got a (once-off) fiver but my allowance went to zero and housing no longer existed.

J.R. wrote:I don't re-call swabbing being 'voluntary', unles you mean in the army style....

"I want three volunteers ! YOU, YOU, AND YOU !!!"

I certainly remember it being voluntary and apart from the money, which wasn't much, you got off trades and any house activities, such as chair shifting..

For a dayroom monitor it meant cleaning shoes on a daily basis, which, as we had to do ours anyway, an extra pair made little difference, and the coat about once a term or for visits, run errands, which really meant going to the tuck shop once or twice a week, and making his bed. Can't remember much else. I did that for 2 terms.
For a monitor with a study, it also meant making the fire and occasionally toast, and cleaning the study. Carefully planned, it meant you could stay in his study if he was otherwise occupied, which was worth it as he had a comfortable chair compared to the benches in the dayroom. More money and hot toast.
By the time I got to those heights, there were senior and junior houses and swabbing was no more.

J.R. wrote:I don't re-call swabbing being 'voluntary', unles you mean in the army style....

"I want three volunteers ! YOU, YOU, AND YOU !!!"

I certainly remember it being voluntary and apart from the money, which wasn't much, you got off trades and any house activities, such as chair shifting..

For a dayroom monitor it meant cleaning shoes on a daily basis, which, as we had to do ours anyway, an extra pair made little difference, and the coat about once a term or for visits, run errands, which really meant going to the tuck shop once or twice a week, and making his bed. Can't remember much else. I did that for 2 terms.

In Col A everyone up to but excluding about 4 house monitors had a trade/job, of these being a swab was one. The first year would clean the house ground floor every evening, 2nd year were swabs, 3rd year would serve food (ladled out by the two junior monitors and sometimes the Trades Monitor) and so on. I reckon the Trades Monitor had the worst job because not only was he responsible for assigning all the jobs but he had to supervise and ensure that they were properly carried out (no dust on the tops of doors, shoes polished under the insole .......), calling the roll, and usually got it in the neck if the serving monitors ran out of food before they ran out of boys, if the swab did not meet the monitor's requirements etc. etc . Uniquely when I was Trades Monitor I ot a swab on Kit's instructions - the first time that had happened apparently; very expensive for me. ISTR that my swab had it relatively easy because of all the time I had away (though he might contest that)

Out swabs had it harder; even though each was assigned to a specified monitor, if they were otherwise unengaged any monitor could send them to the tuck shop, tell them to make the afternoon tea and toast. Coats were not cleaned termly; they had to be kept clean at all times so the swab had to inspect his monitor's coat and breeches frequently though normaly monitors would tell their swab. CCF uniforms and especially boots were also the swab's responsibility and boots had to reflect better than a mirror. Brasses had to gleam and blanco on webbing had to be perfect; every Friday. Relationships between swab and monitor varied - some were good and the swab had a fairly cushy number, some were more "difficult".

sejintenej wrote:CCF uniforms and especially boots were also the swab's responsibility and boots had to reflect better than a mirror. Brasses had to gleam and blanco on webbing had to be perfect; every Friday.

Kit was not in the CCF. In Thornton B, where our housemaster was Major Page, monitors were strictly forbidden to get swabs to clean CCF uniforms or polish brasses or boots. As the Major said: You get a batman when you're an officer, not before.